The arrival of Carson's, the Chicago rib and steak house, in Milwaukee this fall is likely to seriously shake up the balance of power among Downtown restaurants like no one has in years. It was announced yesterday that the Chicago institution will occupy the ground floor of The Moderne, the 31-story apartment and condo development that is rising on the corner of Juneau and Old World Third Street.

Carson's ribs – slow cooked, smoked for hours in a hickory wood pit, tight to the bone, slathered in a sweet and tangy sauce – are so popular, the restaurant ships them in Styrofoam coolers with dry ice around the country. Although its home is the Windy City, Carson's is a Milwaukee-style eatery.

Portions are very generous at the two Chicago-area locations. The au gratin potatoes – best I have ever eaten – are cheesehead heaven. They have been called a cardiologist's nightmare.

Substitute the restaurant's signature Caesar salad, which has a slight hint of anchovies in the dressing, for the standard salad. More heaven.

Casual in style but serious about food, Carson's should do fabulous business before Bucks, Marquette and Admirals games, and it is close enough to the Marcus Center, Pabst Theater and Milwaukee Rep to appeal to pre-show diners.

This is such a great deal, I had to reread the press release twice to believe my eyes.

Marquette University is celebrating William Shakespeare's birthday week on Wednesday by presenting American Players Theatre actor and writer James DeVita in his autobiographical one-man show "In Acting Shakespeare," and the performance is FREE.

The longtime Wisconsin stage artist will make his off-Broadway debut in New York next January doing the play about his journey from being an indifferent student and commercial fisherman to becoming one of the outstanding classical theater actors in the country. The show is funny and poignant.

"In Acting Shakespeare" debuted in the APT's indoor Touchstone Theatre in Spring Green in 2009, and DeVita performed it here in a Renaissance Theaterworks production a year ago. He will do it for the Pearl Theatre Company on 42nd Street in New York Jan. 10 to Feb. 3, 2013.

The Marquette presentation will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Weasler Auditorium, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. Here is my review of the Renaissance Theaterworks production of the show.

By the way, historians think Shakespeare was born 448 years ago today.

The city's most entertaining garage sale returns Saturday with the Milwaukee Rep's annual spring clean-out of stuff we have seen onstage. The Rep's prop and costume departments have combed through their storage spaces, pulling hats, shoes, clothing, furniture, light fixtures and a trove of curiosities to put on sale.

Perhaps the most unusual item is the two-person football blocking sled used in the company's production of "Lombardi" last fall. A life-sized stuffed tiger from "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" and medieval stocks from "King Lear" are also slated to be sold.

The California king-sized industrial bed onstage in the Rep's current production of "Othello" is on the market, but it won't be available for pickup until after the show closes next month.

Collectable period costumes and contemporary fashions will also be available.

The garage sale will be held in the Rep's paint shop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Follow the signs at the company's box office in the lobby of the Milwaukee Center. Payment must be made by cash or check.

About Damien Jaques

Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George
Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on
TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's
first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare.
Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote
for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as
theater critic.

During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American
Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's
foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a
University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted
his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on
WHAD for eight years.

Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's
interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and
international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers
and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking
distance of most of the theaters he attends.